Back from therapy, Kanye announces two albums

Update:
April, 20/2018 - 12:00

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Rapper Kanye West (right) met president-elect Donald Trump in December 2016, but has otherwise made few public appearances since cutting short a tour after displaying increasingly erratic behavior on stage. Photo cnn.com

NEW YORK — Kanye West, the once-omni present rap superstar who vanished a year and a half ago amid a purported mental breakdown, on Thursday re-emerged to announce not one but two albums.

The 40-year-old rapper and fashion designer who has likened himself to Michelangelo tweeted that he will release a seven-track album on June 1 and another album a week later with his protege Kid Cudi.

West, who returned to Twitter earlier this week nearly a year after deleting his account, said little about the new albums. But he wrote that his collaboration with Kid Cudi will be called Kids See Ghost.

The husband of socialite Kim Kardashian in 2016 cut short a tour after increasingly erratic behaviour on stage, including alleging that rap mogul Jay-Z was out to kill him and throwing his support behind now-president Donald Trump, a rarity for an African American celebrity.

His associates said he went into therapy for a breakdown and he has made few appearances since – other than showing up shortly after the 2016 election to meet the then president-elect at his Trump Tower residence.

Once known for his introspection, West became become increasingly boastful in his lyricism, interviews and social media postings although he has consistently won high marks for his musical skills.

His last album, 2016’s The Life of Pablo, broke from the traditional recording model by initially coming out only through streaming, with West tinkering with it even after its "release". — AFP